Disastrous
by ExperimentalHeart
Summary: Dave Strider has been kicked out of pretty much every school in the state of Texas. His brother has decided that they need a fresh start in a new state. How will Dave fit in at William McKinley High School, and will he acquire any of that sappy stuff, like friends, acceptance and a boyfriend? (Also, what's this about the glee club?)
1. You Must Be Gorgeous : Good Streak

He had a feeling that this was not going to go well at all. Last resorts were never a good thing, and Dave Strider never managed to score much in the way of good things anyway. The boy stood in front of the school, regarding it with a definite lack of enthusiasm. He checked the sign, comparing it with the sheet of paper in his hand. Yep. William McKinley High School, prepare to meet the holy terror.

Dave exhaled quietly, adjusting his sunglasses on his face and shouldering his messenger bag. Automatically, he steeled himself to not expect much of anything except the typical harassment about his sunglasses and the headache the usual transfer papers gave him. Hopefully, the head of this school would be less of a standoffish figure than the last one. A soft chuckle passed his lips as he realized that maybe he needed to cut everyone some slack. He did have kind of a bad reputation, after all.

It really wasn't his fault that this always happened, he defended himself in his head. Dave was a certain kind of person that people either liked or hated. Since he'd been in seventh grade, he'd been through eleven schools, and seven of those had been in Texas. Obviously, he'd pretty much exhausted the state's supply of educational institutions. So he hadn't been surprised when Bro had sat him down and told him they were moving.

_ "Seriously, dude. I realize that sometimes you can't help it, but try not to be so combative." his brother had told him, sitting across the table from him. Dave had taken offense at that statement, basically going off on his brother.  
_  
_ "So what am I supposed to do, just sit there like a coward when I get roped into a fight?"  
_  
_ "I didn't say that." Bro had kept his voice calm, knowing better than to push Dave. "All I'm saying is that this is one of those times where it could have been avoided."  
_  
_ "Could have been avoided? The jackass pushed me into an SUV. I'm just lucky the thing was parked." he snapped. Bro frowned.  
_  
_ "Even so."  
_  
_ "Okay, let me ask you a question. What would you have done?" That question stopped the older Strider in whatever he'd been about to say. After a long pause, he exhaled quietly.  
_  
_ "Point taken. In any case, it doesn't matter. We're moving. You've been through five high schools, we're honestly running out of places to send you here." Dave didn't react much, just sat back, tilting his chair back on two legs.  
_  
_ "Where are we moving to?"  
_  
_ "Ohio."  
_  
_ "…Ohio? Why Ohio?" he'd asked quizzically. Bro shrugged.  
_  
_ "One of the schools, William McKinley, is one of the top fifty best high schools in the country. They had an all-boys school that was pretty good, too, but the webpage was so confusing I just stopped looking after like two minutes." He gestured with his hands at thin air. "So you're going to McKinley. If you don't get kicked out and decide that it totally sucks anyway, we can look at sending you to Dalton." Dave nodded briefly.  
_  
_ "Sorry for going off on you, Bro." he murmured.  
_  
_ "Apology accepted. It's just…It's hard, Dave. This parenting thing? By all rights, I'm supposed to be your brother, not your father figure." He made a face, though it was more of an exhausted one than a vindictive one. "I'm probably fucking up left and right, but it's the best I can do right now. I'm sorry." Dave didn't quite know how to reply to that. He set his chair back on all fours, reaching across the table and tapping his fingers against the other's wrist.  
_  
_ "Don't be like that, bro. You're okay. I mean, it's not your fault Mom and Dad up and kicked the bucket. You're doing the best you can; don't worry about it." Bro slowly relaxed, a little relieved.  
_  
_ "…Alright. Well, go pack your stuff. We leave on Wednesday."  
_  
All of that had led him to be standing in front of this school, not too thrilled about his fate. Dave readied himself and walked into the building, joining the throng of students littering the hallway. The boy took note of where the principal's office was; he'd go and make sure his papers were in order later. He glanced down at the class schedule in his hand, looking for his first period. Terrific, Honors Biology. He rolled his eyes behind his shades, shaking his head as he continued on down the hallway.

Dave reached the classroom with little to no hassle, finding it filled halfway with students. He looked around for any indication of a seating chart, but found no such thing. Shrugging, he took a seat at the back of the room behind a pretty blonde girl, who was sitting on top of her desk chatting with the girl beside her. Her conversational companion was dark-haired, with olive skin and a trendy jacket to match her short skirt. As he set his bag down next to his desk, he heard some of their conversation.

"Your problem, Brittany, is that you're an angel. Now you and I both know that's not true, but the entire school thinks you're braindead. If you want to be taken a little more seriously, you have to step it up a notch." This statement came from the latter of the two. Brittany frowned.

"That doesn't sound like me. I'd be happy to step it up, but do people really think like that?" The first speaker sighed.

"Look. Since we've gotten kicked off the Cheerios, we have to struggle to even get a second _look _in this school." She paused, and then rephrased. "At least, a second look that isn't accompanied with a Slushie facial."

"That burns." Brittany replied quietly.

"What I guess I'm trying to say, and it doesn't look like I'm doing too good of a job, is that you're fine by me and that I'll lo...Like you no matter what." Oblivious to her friend's slip-up, Brittany smiled.

"Thanks, Santana. You're the best." She hugged her around the neck. Santana smiled, but her expression was downcast.

"That's me." Santana then noticed that Dave's head was turned towards them, just as he hurriedly looked back down again. "You'd better not be listening in." she snapped. Brittany gave her a disapproving look.

"If he wants to listen in, let him. I do it all the time." She reached down and tapped Dave on the shoulder. Surprised, he looked up. "I'm Brittany." the girl told him, giving a soft, if somewhat ditzy smile. He raised a hand in a wave. Dave opened his mouth to introduce himself, but was interrupted by Santana.

"Well, _hello_. I'm Santana, and you must be gorgeous." She grinned wickedly at him, looking under her eyelashes, dark eyes scanning what was visible of his face. "Mind sharing what you look like under those fancy shades?" Dave showed signs of smiling, but didn't.

"Sorry, babe. The shades stay on. Gorgeous isn't a name I'm gonna object to, but you can also call me Dave. Nice to meet both of you." He pulled his crimson binder out of his bag and set it down on his desk, tucking his class schedule into the front pocket. Dave took his seat. Santana looked disappointed, but shrugged.

"Well, whatever. You'll have to take them off soon, anyway, or our teacher will yell at you." He made a noncommittal expression in response.

"I'm used to teachers going mental about my shades. I'll deal with it, but thanks for the heads-up." Again he tried for a smile. It was apparently good enough for her, because she smiled back.

"Ooh, looks like we're gonna have an exciting morning, Britt. We get to see the new kid throw down with the teacher."

"This should be fun." Brittany replied. "That is, if she ever shows up."

Just then, a redheaded woman entered the room, sweeping in with a flourish. She set her suitcase-like bag down in her chair and turning to face the class. "Good morning, everyone. I hope you all had a good weekend?" There were murmurs of neutral comments from the class, who seemed to have suddenly lost their energetic zeal, as was the custom when any teacher entered a room. "I've been told we have a new student. Dave Strider?"

He looked up, tilting his head, standing up. He made a mental note that it was an achievement that he hadn't tripped over his bag. The boy pushed his bizarrely pale, spiky blonde hair out of his eyes, facing the class. "That's me." Dave didn't bother with a flowery greeting, just took his seat again. The teacher blinked.

"All right. Dave, could you take your sunglasses off?" Having expected the question, Dave didn't react much.

"I'd rather not, thanks."

"Well, I appreciate your manners, but it's not up for discussion. Take them off, please." Every eye in the room turned to Dave, who just shook his head. As no one could see his eyes, he appeared almost bored.

"I'm not putting it up for discussion, I'm putting it up for the decision of no. There's a difference." Dave replied cooly. A soft, unanimous murmur of simultaneous impressed reaction and laughter echoed through the room. The teacher arched an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, it's still no. I'm keeping my shades on." Instead of answering verbally, the teacher made her way to the back of the room, stooping in front of him and holding out her hand.

"Sunglasses. Now."

"How about no?" He didn't seem argumentative, just direct. Santana snickered. The teacher made a move to take Dave's sunglasses off his face, but he ducked back, holding a protective hand in front of his face. She was definitely not amused.

"That's it. Dave, you're coming with me to the office. Come with me." As he rose from his desk, she folded her arms across her chest. "Not starting out your term on a good note, are we?"

"Never do." Dave replied bluntly as he was ushered toward the door.

When they got out into the hallway, they walked down in silence, Dave's expression neutral. The teacher, whose name he still hadn't gotten, shot him a couple of sideways looks, but he ignored them. He was pretty much used to this. It'd just be a relief once everything was sorted out and he could go back to class. They entered the office, passing the receptionist immediately. His teacher rapped on the window of the principal's office- he was pretty sure his name was Mr. Figgins, or something- and a dark-skinned man looked up. He responded with a curious look, tugging at the collar of his brown suit and motioning for them to enter. Dave's teacher opened the door, stepping to the side so that Dave could answer. Dave folded his arms across his chest, waiting for his teacher to speak. On the contrary, it was Mr. Figgins who spoke first.

"Well, I haven't seen you before. You're...?"

"Dave Strider." Dave told him calmly. "Don't feel bad, 's my first day. I was planning on coming by during lunch to sort out my transfer papers, if that's alright, sir." His combination of casual conversation and the maintenance of politeness threw the principal off a bit. He nodded slowly.

"That's fine. However, I suspect that isn't why you're here. Mrs. Godfrey?" Mr. Figgins turned to her. Mrs. Godfrey pursed her lips.

"Dave refuses to take his sunglasses off." Mr. Figgins looked at Dave, who nodded in agreement.

"Pretty much." The principal blinked.

"Oh. Well, that hardly sounds like something you would go to the principal's office for! The solution is just for Mr. Strider to remove his sunglasses, and then the problem will be resolved!"

"That's the problem." Mrs. Godfrey told him, pulling a face. "He hasn't just refused once, but several times. Not very politely, either. I tried to take them off and he wouldn't let me." Dave glared at her behind his shades, biting his tongue.

"I didn't say anything to you that was rude. Don't put words in my mouth. I just don't see why some lady I haven't even known for ten minutes should go off on me for something that's not bothering anyone. I mean, if you need to call my bro to verify that I'm not hungover, go ahead." He paused. "Okay, I admit that _that _was rude. Sorry." Mr. Figgins looked between the two.

"Well, Dave, sunglasses are allowed in the hallways and outside the school, but nowhere else. You're going to have to take them off, I'm sorry." Dave shook his head.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you don't understand. I need these. I get more negative attention with them off than I ever would if I acted up in class, and I think it'd be a bit more of a distraction." Dave added that last part to try and play to the typical teacher's motto. It confused both teachers in the room.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Godfrey asked. Dave sighed.

"Let's just say that I need the shades." Mr. Figgins waved his hand.

"No, Dave, please elaborate. Why do you need your sunglasses so badly?" The Strider took on a resigned look.

"Fine." He pulled off his sunglasses. Unused to the feeling of being without them, he blinked several times, clearing his vision before opening his eyes. The boy glanced at Mr. Figgins, revealing startling red eyes. Dave looked sideways at Mrs. Godfrey, who had the reaction of alarm. He scowled, somewhat hurt, and then turned back to the principal. Mr. Figgins nodded slowly.

"I see how you might think that's distracting. It is, I won't bother to lie. You're free to keep your sunglasses on if you'd like to, but you're just as free to remove them." Dave slid them back on, inclining his head. He didn't have any intention in complying with Mr. Figgins' last statement; his eyes were on the scale of things he didn't like about himself.

"Alright. Thanks. I'll keep them on if it's all the same to you, thanks."

"I'll write you a note for your teachers, then." Mr. Figgins relented. He hesitated. "Are you an albino?" He looked down at his desk, starting to scribble out a note on a scrap sheet of paper. Instead of pointing out his pale skin, red eyes and light blonde hair in the most obvious way possible, Dave voiced his agreement.

"Yeah. I am. Bro didn't get it as bad, but he's pale with weird eyes too." He didn't elaborate, just glancing at Mr. Figgins through his sunglasses. "So can I go now?"

"Yes, you can go." Mr. Figgins pushed the piece of paper across the desk towards him. "If you show this to your teachers, you should be perfectly fine." He gave him a stern wave of his hand. "But let's not start out the year with my seeing you for more serious reasons, hm?" Dave smiled wryly, heading towards the door.

"Funny, I've only known you for a few minutes and already you've got me pegged. Have a nice day, Mr. Figgins." With that, he stepped out, closing the door behind him and waiting for his teacher.

The walk back to class was unsurprisingly silent. Mrs. Godfrey was either embarrassed about her blunder or still suffering from residual anger. Dave stuffed his hands in his pockets, whistling softly. They entered the class without much ceremony, walking in on a male substitute managing the class. Mrs. Godfrey dismissed him with a tight-lipped smile and took her place at her desk as Dave took his seat. He shuffled around his supplies, opening his binder. Suddenly, a note flew from his left onto his desk, landing amongst his unlabeled dividers. He glanced sideways and saw Santana twirling her pencil around her finger with disinterest. She met his eyes, giving him a coy smirk before returning to ignoring what the teacher was saying. Dave was doing the same, but he clicked on a pen in his pocket that would audio record the lesson for him. That, in a nutshell, was how he usually got through his classes. Worked like a dream.

He opened Santana's note, studying her sprawling writing with a practiced eye.

_So hey, new kid. How'd it go? See you've still got your shades and Mrs. Godfrey still has her face._  
_ it went alright. met figgins or whatever his name is, convinced him to knock her down a peg._  
_Figgins? What are you, God? Mr. Schue's had a lot of experience with him and he's only been successful a couple of times._  
_ whos_ _mr_ _schue is he like the superintendent or something_  
_ Oh, no. He's the teacher for Spanish and the coach for New Directions. _Santana passed it to him, then reconsidered and snagged it back once Mrs. Godfrey turned around, adding something else. _New Directions is the glee club me and Brittany are in. _  
_glee club huh sounds...artsy_  
_ Shut up. It's actually a lot of fun. Let me see your schedule? _He complied and passed her his schedule along with the note in lieu of a reply. She scanned it, then looked like she was trying not to laugh.  
_You've got Mr. Schue, actually. Looks like you're in his second period Spanish class. I think you'll like him. Granted, he has the habit of being an oblivious guy who's forever stuck in another decade and wears way too many vests, but he's not that bad once you get past the lost-puppy factor._  
_ ...wow_  
_ You also have the pleasure of sharing two classes with me, which means I pity you._  
_ i think i lost you at the pitying me part. care to explain?_  
_ I have the unanimous rep as a straight-up bitch. _He cocked an eyebrow over his shades, surprised, shaking his pen before writing back.  
_funny you dont seem that bad. i mean yeah youre a little snarky and i think youve got a thing for elaborate metaphoric insults, but theres nothing wrong with that. personally i like it_  
_ I think I could get to like you, Dave._  
_ ha thanks means a lot and also brittany likes you too right? so sue me i was listening but it seems like you guys are pretty good friends_  
_ Wow, rude. No, it's okay. Yeah, I guess she does. She's at least still mostly in the in crowd. The two of us used to be in the cheerleading team, which pretty much makes you holy at this school. Way to get noticed, you know? But the coach is a bitch who hates glee club and tried to shoot Brittany out of a cannon, so we quit. _  
_ sounds like a wholesome high school experience_  
_ As if. I don't think you'll have too much of a problem, though. You seem like the kind of guy who'll fit in pretty well._  
_ you say that now but im the kind of guy who people either think is completely fucking awesome or they hate him_  
_ I know someone like that. Just try not to get in the way of the real wound up jocks and you'll be fine._  
_ will do_  
The rest of the class went by with the discussion of evolution from basic principles. Dave was a little amazed the topic didn't start an uproar. To be fair, most of the class was asleep. Once there were about twenty seconds until the bell would ring, Brittany turned around and tapped her fingers on his desk to get his attention. He looked up after zipping his bag shut.

"Hey. 'Sup?"

"Can I try on your sunglasses?" she asked seriously. Dave hesitated, about to come out with a flat no. He noticed the look on her face; the sincere, wondering expression she wore was endearing, if a minor degree of ditzy. He debated for a minute more, then nodded.

"Sure, knock yourself out." Dave closed his eyes and pulled off his sunglasses, holding them out in front of him. He turned his head away, opening his eyes and staring at the wall. Brittany tapped him on the shoulder.

"Do I look pretty?"

"Yes, you look gorgeous." was Dave's automatic reaction, not tearing his eyes from the plaster. Brittany tugged on his sleeve.

"Dave, I'm over here." Terrific.

"I, uh, have eye problems. Can you take a picture and show it to me? I need my shades to see well." he lied, pulling out his phone and holding it to the direction he estimated she'd be in. It was plucked out of his hand and there was the sound of the camera shutter a few seconds later. His phone was handed back to him, along with his sunglasses. Dave glanced at the picture and had to smile. "Yeah, you do look pretty. Sorry about the eye thing." He pulled on his sunglasses, hopefully for the last time that day.

"It's okay. I wouldn't have asked if I knew your eyes didn't work." Brittany told him earnestly. "I'm sorry." He took a second to analyze if she was serious with the statement about his eyes, then realized she actually was. Next to him, Santana slowly lifted a hand to her face and smacked herself in the forehead.

"My eyes work alright, Brittany. It's just that I'm not used to the light outside my shades and all that shit. It's not your fault. Besides, you looked cute in them." He shrugged. The bell rang as he finished his sentence and all three stood up, filing out into the hallway.

For all her rambling, Santana did get a few hellos and greetings in the hallway. Dave got the impression that Brittany was the shy one. He pulled out his schedule, searching for the room number of his Spanish class. Santana tapped on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. You're in Spanish with me; I'll make sure you don't get lost. Funny as that would be." She gave Brittany a hug in parting and the former headed off down a side hallway. Santana led Dave to a room with an open door, entering before him and taking her seat at the back of the class.

A curly-haired man was leaning over his desk, scribbling something in a thick black binder. The class was empty otherwise, everyone else still littering the hall with idle conversation. Dave walked to his side, clearing his throat discreetly. Mr. Schuester looked up, acknowledging him with a friendly smile.

"Well, hello. New student? I'm Mr. Schuester, but you can call me Mr. Schue." He held out his hand, which Dave took and shook.  
"Dave Strider." He then proceeded to pull his transfer papers out, unfolding them and handing them to Mr. Schue. After some examination, Mr. Schue gave his agreement and handed them back.

"I'm sure it'll be enjoyable having you in my class. Take a seat." Dave set his stuff in the back corner, sitting up on a stool, spreading his papers out in front of him. He checked the clock- lunch was supposed to be in an hour and a half. He'd have to swing by and drop them off.

Spanish passed uneventfully, and Dave actually paid attention, which even he found astounding. He kind of liked this Mr. Schue guy. Maybe one person in the school wouldn't be uptight. He packed up his things and headed to the cafeteria, reaching for the door handle before remembering that he needed to go to the office. Sighing, he realized that he was on the wrong side of the school. Dave exited the building through a side door and took a cut through the parking lot, heading to the office.

Something caught his eye as he was nearing the door of the school. There were several people standing around a dumpster, surrounding a boy in a navy pea coat, who was clutching his books to his chest as he gave everyone around him a death glare. Dave was dimly aware of a guy with a mohawk about twenty feet behind himself, but ignored him as he headed up to the scene. He arrived just in time to see two boys take the victim's binder, holding it while the latter shrugged off his coat, revealing a tasteful cable-knit sweater.

"Hummel, if you know you're just gonna be thrown in the dumpster anyway, you should really wear clothes that you're not gonna be scared to get dirty." one of them commented. All snickered. Dave, unseen, coughed purposefully. Everyone turned to him.

"Ahem. Hey, what the hell are you doing?" He kept a poker face, tugging at the strap of his bookbag. One of them gave him a look like he should know better than to have asked that question.

"Um, throwing the fag in the dumpster. Duh. What, have you been living under a rock?" Dave held up his hands in mock surrender.

"New here. Sorry about that. Must have missed the memo that it was in to toss kids in a trash bin. Here's an idea, though, get a hobby." Dave reached out and swiped the victim's jacket from one of his assailant's hands, taking his binder with it. He turned and started to walk off, not looking behind him. Shockingly, there was no angry following. To the contrary, the four who had been surrounding whoever he had just saved were too shocked to do anything. _Like that's gonna last. My ass is gonna be grass tomorrow._ Dave thought bitterly, continuing on his way. He heard the light tapping of footsteps, and then someone pulled at his sleeve. It was the boy whose items he held.

"Kurt Hummel." he said breathlessly, smiling and holding out his hand. "I have to say how much I appreciate your resigning yourself to an early grave to rescue me. It's dashing." Dave gave him a weird look, but chuckled, amused.

"Sure I'll be able to manage." He shifted Kurt's things in his arms, moving them to the side to shake Kurt's hand. "Here, you probably want your stuff back. Nice coat, by the way." Kurt reclaimed his jacket and binder, pleased at the compliment.

"Thank you. I represent male fashion in this school." Dave suddenly remembered whatever remained of his manners.

"Oh. I'm Dave, by the way. Dave Strider. I'm a transfer student."

"Well, Dave, it was nice to meet you and I'm grateful. I'm sorry about them, though. I do hope you'll be able to hold your own." Kurt tucked his binder under his arm. "I've got to hurry to lunch, but maybe I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, 've got first lunch too. I'll see you around, Kurt." Kurt said his goodbyes and hurried off, sprinting to make it to lunch on time. Dave continued walking, not seeing any hurry since Mr. Figgins knew he was coming.

Mr. Figgins gave him a look when he entered the office of his own accord. "Dave. Not in any trouble, are we?"

"Nope. Just came to drop off my papers." Mr. Figgins scanned them, brow wrinkling as he did so.

"...Well, you've had a history, haven't you? Pick a lot of fights?" Dave thought about the question, then shook his head.

"No. People are just jacka- jerks." he answered honestly. His slip-up didn't faze the man. Dave would hope not; he ran a _high school_.

"Let's hope you have a better time at McKinley, then. Have a good day, Dave."

"I'll try."

Dave headed out, heading towards the bumbling noise of the cafeteria. _Today isn't so bad so far,_ he thought. Nothing too disastrous had happened yet, and hopefully that status would be maintained for the rest of the day.

He entered as pulled his lunch out of his bag, glancing around for an empty seat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hand waving to him. It was Kurt, who had already gotten his lunch tray and was sitting with an African American girl and one who looked to be some variation of Asian. A boy in a wheelchair was pulled up next to him, picking at his lunch. Dave headed over, hovering over the table. Kurt turned to the people around him.

"This is Dave, everyone. He's the valiant human being who prevented my being tossed in a dumpster and sealed his fate by doing so. Say hello." There were assorted hellos from everyone in the vicinity. Kurt motioned for Dave to take a seat, and he did so, sitting down next to the African American girl. She addressed him.

"So you're the one who saved my boy's ass. Thanks. His face is too pretty to get tossed in with the garbage." Holding up a hand for a high five, she continued, "Mercedes Jones, Kurt's best friend. Hey, thanks." Dave smacked her palm, grinning.

"No prob." He looked to the other two inhabitants of the table that were strangers to him, gesticulating. "You guys are...?"

"I'm Tina and this is my boyfriend Artie." the other girl said with a shy smile. "It's nice to meet you."

Dave opened up his lunch, calming down as they resumed conversing.

"Hey, Kurt, are you gonna ask Mr. Schue about the solo you wanna do?" Mercedes asked curiously. Dave perked up.

"You're in glee club too? Geez, must be a virus going around or something. I've already met two people in New Directions, and it's my first day here." Tina gave him an interested look.

"Who else have you met that's in glee club? All of us here are too."

"Santana and Brittany. They're in my first period class." he responded, taking a bite of his sandwich. Artie's eyebrows went up.

"I'm so sorry. Not all of us are as bad as Santana, I promise."

"Actually, she wasn't that bad." Dave admitted. "Snarky at first, but she seemed to like me enough." Artie clapped.

"Impressive. Someone's tamed Santana."

"But no, we're all in the glee club. It's a lot of fun." Kurt looked at Dave with new interest. "Are you any good at singing? You're the first person in a while who hasn't immediately turned their nose up at glee club." Dave shrugged, giving an evasive answer.

"Dunno. I've only had a few people comment at all."

"Well, we could always use new members. We're not short any, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't welcome another singer." he replied encouragingly. Dave returned to his lunch, avoiding a reply. It wasn't that he was suffering from an aversion to glee club; it was that he was extremely self-conscious. That was a factor in several aspects of Dave's life, and was probably his biggest flaw. The other kids at the table started engaging him in conversation, which was nicer than Dave was used to.

"So did you come from another school, or are you new to the state?"

"Uh...a little bit of both." He swallowed, taking a sip from his canteen of water. "Came from Texas. Stuff happened that I couldn't go to school there anymore, so Bro up and moved us to Ohio. Said something about the school system." This induced interest.

"Were you born in Texas?" Tina asked. Dave nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking," Kurt stated casually, "what was the 'stuff' that happened to cause your moving?"

"I got kicked out of a lot of schools in Texas. 'A lot' meaning, like, all of them." He took another bite of his sandwich, not too comfortable with the topic. Mercedes looked puzzled.

"Really? What'd you do? You don't seem all that bad." He laughed.

"No, I'm not really. I just...Have a low tolerance for jackasses. Seemed like there was a crowd of those at every school I went to." Dave left it at that.

"McKinley's not any different." Kurt declared plainly. "Here's hoping you'll have more luck here, though." Artie tilted his head.

"You said your brother moved you here. How'd that work?"

"Well, Bro...Dirk...is twenty-three, so he's legal to do pretty much what he wants. Don't tell him that, though. He'd lose whatever he calls a mind."

"Didn't your parents have a problem with that?" Tina piped up. "I mean...Sorry if that's a bad question."

"Nah, it's fine. Mom and Dad are dead." Tina made a face like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her.

"I'm sorry, that was a _really_ bad question..."

"Seriously, it's fine. But yeah, Bro's in charge. Which isn't all bad. He's a good brother." He was relaxed now that the topic was off school, but he still felt a painful prick in his chest. Fuck, this was a little hard to discuss. Quickly, Kurt changed the topic.

"An older brother might be nice. I've got my dad, though, and he's dating someone, so I might get a stepbrother soon enough." His expression suggested he didn't know what to make of this. "What classes do you have?"

"Uh, Spanish with Mr. Schue, Biology with Mrs. Godfrey, Advanced Lit with...printer cut the name off...and looks like History, then a free period. Not sure what I'm supposed to do with that."

It turned out that no one shared all of his classes, but he had Kurt in his literature class and Brittany and Mercedes in his history continued discussing their respective classes until the bell rang. Dave hadn't even gotten halfway through his lunch, being as he'd showed up twenty minutes late. His stomach was growling; time to hit Starbucks after school. He said goodbye to Artie, Tina and Mercedes, heading to literature with Kurt.

Of course, he fell asleep in literature and had to be roused by Kurt, who found no shortage of amusement from this. History flew by in a blast, Dave not even noticing his surroundings. Brittany attempted to pass him a note, but found that her spelling confused him to no end. The conversation and the period ended with the two exchanging phone numbers and his decree that texting type was fine if it suited her.

Dave headed out, slinging his jacket over one arm and weaving through the halls to the front parking lot. He stopped to get a vanilla Coke from the vending machine, arguing with the dollar slot for a spell before finally retrieving his drink. Satisfied, he took a long swig before heading out the door.

He was halfway to his car when he realized someone was following him. Dave had a kind of natural paranoia about him, which made it easier for him to detect when he was being tailed. He didn't turn around, just kept walking, tucking the bottle of soda under his arm.

"Hey." came a voice from behind him.

It was only when he reached the door of his car that he turned around, taking in his sudden companion. The fact that he looked familiar threw Dave for a loop, and he scanned him from head to toe. He was taller than Dave and had a slouch to him, and was relatively handsome, which warranted a second scan. It didn't take long to pick out where he knew him from. The mohawk gave it away. This was the guy who had been behind him before he stood up for Kurt. Oh, terrific._ Looks like I'm not gonna have to wait until tomorrow to get into a fight,_ Dave thought automatically, assuming he was with the group that had tried to toss Kurt into the dumpster. _Sorry, bro._ He calmly turned back around and opened the door to his car, throwing his bag and the bottle of soda into the passenger seat before acknowledging him.

"Yeah." He was met with the experience of being on one of those documentaries on National Geographic- _you know, the ones where the lions size up their prey._ There was a good ten seconds of silence, and then the boy held out a hand.

"Hey. I'm Puck." Confused, Dave reached out to shake his hand, only to have Puck turn it into a fist and tap his knuckles with it. The recipient was visibly befuddled.

"...Uh, not that I'm one to tell anyone how to kick someone else's ass. But I'm pretty sure you're doing it wrong. I mean, you don't generally introduce yourself and give someone a fuckin' fistbump." he said slowly, withdrawing his hand, shoving it into his pocket. Puck lifted his eyebrows.

"What makes you think I'm gonna bring it on your ass?" He muttered the next sentence to himself, but Dave still heard it. "Geez, maybe I should listen to Berry more often. Didn't think I was _that_ scary." Puck smiled, a shark-like grin, and then glanced back up to Dave. "Dude, cool shades."

"Sure, thanks. Why do I think that? Because you've been following me for like five minutes and the last time I saw you, I was saving some kid from getting a garbage shampoo. In my experience, if someone's looking for me, I did something to piss them off in some way. Did my ruining those guys' fun have something to do with you?" Dave was still suspicious. Puck looked at him like he was missing a few brain cells.  
"What? No. That kid was Kurt. I'm in glee club with him. He's cool enough, even if he is a ladyboy. I just wanted to thank you for that." He held up his hands. "I come in peace." Little by little, Dave lost his twitchy persona, exhaling and distributing a little smile to Puck.

"Right. Uh, yeah, no problem. Sorry. You're, like...the sixth person all day to thank me for that. Didn't mean to go off on you, I'm just paranoid after Kurt told me I basically signed my death warrant."

"No, it's cool. And look, don't worry about that. Yeah, they're dicks, but that's pretty much all they are. I'd know; I used to be one of them." Dave forgot to censor his reactions.

"Wait, _seriously_?"

"Is it that hard to believe? I'm losing my touch." Puck shook his head. "Yeah. But then one of them- uh, Dave?" Dave looked up, thinking he was talking about him, until Puck resumed his train of thought. "Karofsky. Kurt just now got back. He went to some private school because Dave drove him out of here. Was messing with him about liking dick and all that. Kurt's one of my friends, weird as that is, and no one messes around with one of them on my watch." Puck cracked his knuckles menacingly. Dave cracked another smile. He liked this guy.

"Ah. Well, alright. I'm Dave, by the way. Strider, not Karofsky."

"Cool." Puck returned decisively. Dave held up a finger.

"Wait, hold up. While you're here, maybe you can clear something up for me. What's the deal with the glee club? Seems like everyone I've talked to is in it."

"Glee club is glee club." Puck said simply. "Not much to it. It's fun, even if at the beginning it did make me feel like more of a girl than actual girls. If you're looking for something to do after school and you can carry a tune worth something, try out." He smirked. "Later, Dave." Puck backed off from the car, lifting a hand in a wave before turning and slinking away. Dave watched after him for a second, then popped open his door and hopped in the driver's seat.

He had a good streak going at this school. Maybe that'd last.


	2. kickthisclockwork: Humor Jade Harley

He pulled into the garage, parking the car next to the sparse workbench. Bro wouldn't be needing it until later that night, when he went out to his DJ-ing job. Dave kind of envied his brother at times. He was a terrific DJ, and it hadn't taken him long at all to score a job at a nearby nightclub. True, maybe it wasn't sensible to long for the life of little sleep, amplifiers making you nearly deaf and shady half-drunk girls, but Dave sometimes wished he could be like his brother. 'Sometimes', in his book, translated to 'a lot'.

Dave hung the keys on the inside hook of the front door and shrugged his jacket off, leaving him in a nondescript black t-shirt. He pulled off his sunglasses, tucking them into the pocket of his jacket and hanging said jacket up. "Bro, I'm home!" he called, listening for the telltale signs of the television or Bro's turntables. Neither sound met his ears. Frowning, he shut the door behind him and headed inside. The house was deserted, but a note done in Bro's impeccable handwriting was taped to the microwave. Dave snagged it, squinting to read it.

_Dave,_

_Went out to go get groceries and stuff. It's right around the block. I'll pick you up some Cheetos and some apple juice; we need to do some bonding thing like cookies or whatever too. If you get sick on dough again, it's officially not my fault._

_Love you, kid._

Dave relaxed and tossed the note in the trash, a smile tugging at his mouth. The last time him and Bro had made cookies, it had resulted in both of them throwing dough at each other and laughing like maniacs. Bro could be pretty cool sometimes.

He set his bag down on the floor, glancing around the kitchen. Dave felt a pang of homesickness. As much as he'd switched around schools in Texas, he'd never had to move before. He was surprised they had been able to afford the move, but supposed he shouldn't be. His father, Thomas, had been holding onto a rather large amount left to him by his father and had never used it, so when he died it had gone to Bro and Dave. Dave really didn't want to think about finances; he was just happy that he had a decent roof over his and his sibling's head. He shook off his nostalgia and headed up to his room.

Once he got upstairs, he collapsed on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Gone was the usual sense of being incredibly tired, probably because the day had actually gone well. Dave rolled over, reaching under his bed and pulling out his laptop bag. He unzipped it, pulling out his sleek silver laptop and powering it on, listening to the familiar startup sound. Typing in his password, he scrolled through the list of programs before he brought up Skype. _kickthisclockwork, _password _turntechgodhead_.

Dave scanned his contacts list, looking to see if anyone he actually wanted to converse with was online. His friend Rose was offline, as was his friend Karkat, his friend Roxy and a few others. However, a smile came to his face as he saw someone who was online- _spacingout (Jade Harley! :D)_ He grinned, clicking on her name. She was like his little sister.

_kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): hey princess whats up with you _

_spacingout (Jade Harley :D): dave! :D_

_spacingout (Jade Harley): wow, its nice to talk to you! um, theres not much up with me at the moment, but can i ask you a question?_

_kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): yeah sure lay it on me_

_spacingout (Jade Harley :D): why did you change your location to lima, ohio? :O_

_kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): cause thats where i live now_

_kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): believe it or not_

_kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): dave strider has flown the texas coop with his brother and gone to the land of _

_kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): uh_

_kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): ohioans_

_spacingout (Jade Harley :D): skmdskjmsidjsa!_

_kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider: did you just spaz on your keyboard or what_

_spacingout (Jade Harley :D): dont you remember dave?_

_spacingout (Jade Harley :D): me and grandpa moved to ohio!_

_spacingout (Jade Harley :D) specifically lima!_

_kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): oh fuck thats sweet_

_kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): bro was thinking about sending me to this all boys school dalton or whatever but i go to william mckinley_

_kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): havent gotten kicked out yet so thats good right_

_-incoming video call from .:Jade Harley :D:. -_

Dave adjusted his position on the bed, debating getting his shades but deciding against it, clicking accept on the call. The face of his friend popped up, the black-haired girl grinning at him and waving frantically. Her eyes were alight with excitement, and she brushed her hair out of her face, her grin infectious.

"Dave!" she exclaimed happily. "Hi!" Dave waved at her, trying not to grin like an idiot.

"Hey, Jade. What's the occasion?" he asked her. "Try not to get too excited, you'll fall asleep." Jade was a known narcoleptic. She nodded, calming herself down with a deep breath.

"Oh, right. Thanks, Dave! Ummm, guess what?" She almost vibrated with happy energy and he had to resist the urge to laugh, shrugging once.

"No idea. Spin me a tale, sweetheart."

"You said you go to William McKinley, right?" He nodded, not sure where this was going. "Well, so do I! I was just absent today because Bec had to go get his rabies shots and I didn't want him to be alone." Jade pulled a face, upset about that. "But anyway! What classes do you have? We should go for coffee after school tomorrow and meet up or something!" He held up his hands, her enthusiasm making him smile again. That wasn't the most common gesture for him, the smiling, but he wasn't complaining.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Let me check my schedule." He reached off to the side and picked his notebook up off the floor, thumbing through it until he found the folded slip of paper. "Right. Okay, Mrs. Godfrey first period, Spanish with Mr. Schuester, Advanced Lit with I have no idea who, and history with Ms. Holiday. Then a free period, which I guess I'll use studying or something." Dave hummed under his breath. "All things considered, my day was pretty fantastic." Jade shifted in her chair, resting the laptop on her knees.

"Really? How'd it go? Fill me in." She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. Her eyes sparkled.

"Well, uh, first period was a deep-fried disaster. Godfrey bitched at me about my shades-"

"Oh, I meant to tell you! Keep your shades off, okay? You usually don't and I really like your eyes." He made a face, but nodded, continuing.

"-and I had to go to Figgins, but the endgame is that I can choose to wear them or not. I met these two girls who seem pretty nice, too. Santana and Brittany." Jade smiled.

"Brittany's really sweet."

"She is, isn't she? Tried on my shades and looked like a million bucks. If I had any interest in people with two X chromes, she'd be my first pick." Jade pretended to be offended.

"What about me, hmmmm?"

"You're fucking gorgeous, but you're more like a little sis. No offense." She shook her head.

"Oh, don't worry. I don't think of you like that either. But if I did, you'd be a total catch!" Jade giggled and waved her hand in a continuous circle. "So go on!"

"So after that, I went to Schuester's...That was pretty uneventful. He seems okay, though. After that, I went to go give Figgins my transfer papers and ended up saving some kid from getting tossed in the dumpster. Kurt Hummel; you know him?" Jade bit her lip, thinking.

"Um...Not personally, no. But a boy I know talks about him sometimes! I think they're friends. Which is weird. Anyway, that was really nice of you. Okay, go on."

"I met some of Kurt's friends at lunch and then just went to the rest of class. Fell asleep in lit...And kind of didn't notice history. We had a sub or whatever."

"Too bad. Ms. Holiday's really fun. We have Mrs. Godfrey and Mr. Schuester and Ms. Holiday together, by the way." She looked pleased by this. "We can study together."

"You gotta have the patience of a saint, but okay. Then I just left, but not after I had this talk with one guy who followed me to my car." She tilted her head to the side, curious. "His name was Puck. I thought he was gonna beat me up, but he just wanted to thank me for helping Kurt o-" Dave stopped mid-sentence. Jade's face had lit up and she was grinning off at the side wall, bouncing in her seat a little. Slowly, he raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Harley? Any reason you look like Christmas just came early?"

"I know Puck." Jade informed him. "He's really nice! And his hair is really soft." Dave thought, and then smirked at her.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Am I right in going out on the limb that my girl has a huge thing for Puck?" Jade blushed, looking down, stammering.

"Of course not! I just think he's nice is all. We're only friends." At the disbelieving look on his face, she argued weakly. "Really!" The skeptical look didn't go away and she blushed deeper, fidgeting. "Dave, what are you looking at me like that for?" He grinned.

"You've got a crush. C'mon, admit it. You like the guy. I mean, nice taste; he is pretty hot. Come on, out with it." He crooked his finger at her, chuckling. Jade rotated from side to side.

"Well...Okay, yeah! Maybe I do like him! I mean, he's really nice, even though he tries to act all tough. And he always listens to me, and he's funny!" The look in her eyes made his spirits lift a little.

"Aww. That's so sweet I think I'm gonna get a cavity. Hello, 911? Yeah? Oh, nothing, my friend just crammed a giant sugary fist of cuteness down my throat." Dave pretended to gag and Jade giggled. "But seriously, this needs to be a thing that happens. You two need to have this totally fucking cheesy Hallmark moment."

"W-What? What do you mean?"

"Ooh, Mister Puckerman, you look delicious today." He batted his eyelashes.

"Dave."

"Oh, Miss Harley, aren't you a naughty little girl."

"Dave."

"O-Oh Mister Puckerman, the things you say!"

"Daaaave."

"Wanna get out of here?"

"Dave!"

"And then they hit the school supply closet and HAD SEX and had beautiful giggly badass babies that regularly threw up narcoleptic dust all over their mother and father." He clapped his hands.

It took him a few seconds to realize that her fit of laughter had dissolved into snoring.

He got up and went downstairs, walking into the kitchen at the same time as Bro. He was required to give a brief rundown, and then he was told to order some pizza while Bro sorted out things with the last of Dave's papers.

Yep, tomorrow was probably gonna be decent too. For the first time in a while, Dave was looking forward to going to school.

**A/N: Hey guys! So I've gotten more love for Disastrous than I thought I would, and thanks to everyone. I'm glad you all like it. I just wanted to clear up that this chapter does actually have a point. I'm introducing the Homestucks bit by bit, so I need to intrersperse action chapters and introduction chapters. I have a list of the Homestucks I'm going to put in. Also, these 'action breaks' will at times serve to provide commentary from Dave, because teenagers totally keep journals. XD I know I do. Anyway, thank you for reading and if you have any questions, feel free to PM me at any time! **


	3. Noah Puckerman: Appreciate Jade's ass

He woke up to the annoying beeping of his alarm clock, which soon spiraled into song.

_You a stupid hoe, you a stupid hoe-_

Dave sat up in bed and yanked out the clock's cord so fast that the plug snapped against his wrist. Having to get up was one thing. Nicki Minaj was another.

He groaned. Not only had his day started on that note, but his alarm clock had gone off fifteen minutes early. _There goes some sleep._ he thought to himself, shaking his head. It could have been worse. It used to be that to get Dave up, Bro had to set two backup alarms, and those didn't even always work. (In fact, the morning routine usually ended in Bro yelling in his ear to wake him up- Dave attributed this to his on-again-off-again one-ear deafness.) Unwillingly, he dragged himself out of bed, yawning and stretching his arms over his head. Somehow, he had fallen asleep on his laptop, in the midst of a late-night chat with two of his friends. One of them had been Roxy Lalonde, a pretty blonde girl who Dave suspected had a bit of a drinking problem and was a sibling to his friend Rose, and the other had been his...Kind of hate-friend Karkat Vantas. He didn't know much about the guy, but he'd met him on a forum for one of his favorite bands. The guy's raging upper-case text had intrigued him somehow and he'd struck up a conversation. Once the two had stopped exchanging insults like they were candy, they'd come to the realization that they actually had a lot in common and had handed out their respective Skype handles.

Speaking of the douche, his Skype was going off like there was no tomorrow. He unfolded his laptop, the keyboard of which having doubled as an impromptu pillow and caused the screen to fold in a little. The user logon screen was displayed-convenient, play the sound and then lock up his computer- and his fingers flew across the keys, keying in his password and bringing up Skype.

_carcinohowaboutno_ _(Karkat_ _Vantas): HEY, STRIDER. DID YOU FALL ASLEEP OR ARE YOU JUST AVOIDING THE PLEASURE OF MY COMPANY?_  
_carcinohowaboutno_ _(Karkat_ _Vantas): WELL?_  
_carcinohowaboutno_ _(Karkat_ _Vantas): YEAH, IN RETROSPECT_ _YOU'RE_ _PROBABLY ASLEEP, FOR FUCKING ONCE._ _IT'S_ _TWO IN THE MORNING._  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): WELL, TALK TO YOU WHEN YOU GET THESE, I GUESS._

The time stamp was, in fact, set to two oh-one in the morning and Dave heaved a neutral sigh as he typed a reply, noting that Karkat's online status was currently set to away. Then again, that didn't mean much of anything. More often than not, Karkat's profile read 'Do Not Disturb', which had been explained to him a few times. _"I HAVE A BUNCH OF ANNOYING FRIENDS- AND NO, FOR ONCE I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU- AND I_ _DON'T_ _ALWAYS WANT TO TALK TO THEM._ _I'LL_ _INSTIGATE CONVERSATION, EXCUSE YOU, MISS SLASH MISTER CLINGY AS FUCK. IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO TALK TO ME, JUST IGNORE IT AND SAY HEY,_ _I'LL_ _PROBABLY ANSWER UNLESS I FIND SOMETHING BETTER TO DO."_

_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider):_ _moooorning_ _princess_  
_kickthisclockwork_ _(Dave Strider): i see someone stayed up past their bedtime _  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): naughty naughty_  
_kickthisclockwork_ _(Dave Strider): someones definitely getting coal this year_

It didn't take long at all for a reply to come through.

_carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): OH, SHUT THE FUCK UP,_ _DAVE._  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas):_ _IT'S_ _NOT LIKE DAD CARES, ANYWAY. HE CAME HOME CRANKY AS ALL GET-OUT AGAIN YESTERDAY, SO_ _YOU'LL_ _FORGIVE ME IF I_ _DIDN'T_ _WANT TO SOCIALIZE OR, THE EASIER TRANSLATION, DEAL WITH HIS SHIT._  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): DID YOU FALL ASLEEP ON YOUR LAPTOP AGAIN? _  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): yeah_  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): looking back i cant really criticize you for your lack of sleeping habits_  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): side effect of having friends that for the most part live nowhere near you you end up devoting most of your life to the internet_  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): I KNOW THE FEELING._  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): ALTHOUGH WITH ME,_ _IT'S_ _MOSTLY STUDYING. I HAD THE BRIGHT IDEA TO TAKE WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY A DEAD LANGUAGE, TAUGHT BY THE CREEPILY POLITE_ _MR. SCRATCH. AT LEAST_ _IT'S_ _ONLINE, I GUESS. HELLO,_ _GOOGLE_ _TRANSLATE. kickthisclockwork(Dave Strider): dude are you taking_ _latin_ _or some shit_  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas):_ _IT'S_ _CALLED_ _GL'BGOLYB_ _AND IT MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE._  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): who the fuck names a language_ _glbgolyb _  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): its like excuse me society_ _im_ _gonna invent a language_  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): pardon me while i reach into the bowels of my brain and pull out something_ _thats_ _vaguely similar to cat vomit_  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): IN HIS DEFENSE, HE_ _DIDN'T_ _MAKE IT. HE JUST HAS TO TEACH IT._  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): well obviously_  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): thank you genius_  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): so planning on doing anything productive with your school day_  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): PROBABLY NOT. HAVE TO DANCE FOR AN AUDITION THOUGH. KNOWING MY LUCK,_ _I'LL_ _BREAK SOMETHING._  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): wait a minute_ _twinkletoes_ _youre_ _dancing for something _  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): YEAH, I AM. CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, I CAN ACTUALLY DANCE. THE ALTERNATIVE WAS TO SING, WHICH, BELIEVE ME, NO._  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): you auditioning for a musical or something_  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): SOMETHING LIKE THAT._  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): well good luck_  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): break a leg_  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): not literally because then_ _itd_ _be kind of hard to dance_  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): ..._  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): GO TO SCHOOL, STRIDER._  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): yeah i think i need to get off the internet permanently_  
_ kickthisclockwork (Dave Strider): talk to you later ill ask you how your thing went_  
_ carcinohowaboutno (Karkat_ _Vantas): THANKS. LATER._

Dave got up and rearranged his alarm clock, taking pity on the poor thing. He set upon picking out clothes for school; clean pair of boxers, dark blue jeans, grey henley and one of his trademark red jackets, tucking a pair of shades into a pocket of the jacket. Heading to the bathroom, he set the clothes on the shelf, stripped off his boxers and hopped in the shower.

When he got out, his normally nonstructured hair was sticking straight up, slick with water and the steam of the bathroom. He reached for a towel to dry it off- fucking Bro being a smartass and swapping his towel for the fluffy pink one again- and rubbed vigorously, drying his hair but instigating a finger-in-a-light-socket effect instead. Shrugging, he let the towel slide to the floor and spiked up his hair, tossing the tin of gel into the trash once used. Dave got dressed, leaving his jacket off and returning to his room to make sure he hadn't left anything behind. Since he usually left anything important in his closet, he opened it and scanned the floor, searching for books or papers. He saw none, but a flash of purple-fuchsia mix caught his eye. Turning his head, he saw the garment hanging up. It was a very light women's jacket, fuzzy on the outside and equipped with a hood, some sort of symbol on the chest. It looked like a swirly asterisk, and was rough to the touch. Dave smiled slightly. Bro had asked him when they were moving if he had wanted to donate any of their parents' things, and he had responded with a definite no. Hence, some of his father's old suits were hanging up in this closet- there was a white one and a crimson one, both of which fit Dave pretty well- and his mother's old dresses were as well. It wasn't like either of the boys would have a use for the latter, but Dave didn't want to get rid of them, and he suspected his brother didn't want to either. Probably some ridiculous fucking ounce of sentimentality, but whatever.

Plus, he kind of wore this jacket sometimes, but Bro didn't need to know that. Not like he would tease him, Bro wouldn't ever go that far, but Dave would feel like a sissy nonetheless.

…Maybe it wouldn't hurt to wear it to school today, if he kept it covered up.

He plucked it from its hanger and pulled it on over his henley, zipping it up. Jeez, felt like he was wearing air. He surely wouldn't be using this for a cold-weather coat anytime soon. Before he went downstairs, he snagged his original jacket from the bathroom and shrugged it on, zipping it up to cover the purple jacket and hanging his towel up. Satisfied that everything was in order, Dave descended to the first level of the house.

Bro was sitting on the counter, texting someone and humming some sort of beat under his breath. Next to him was a pan, which appeared to contain a pancake, bubbling to signify it was ready to flip. Dave headed over to said pan and picked up the spatula, flipping the pancake over. He nudged his brother in the knee.

"Yo, bro. Nice of you to make breakfast, but keep your eyes on the pan, for fuck's sake. Who's so captivating?" He looked up, resting his phone on the counter next to his thigh.

"Oh, no one. Just a girl I used to know. Found her number online after she hit me up on my DJ page, and we're doing some catching up." Dave's sibling's voice softened, and Dave gave him an interested look.

"Got a crush? What's this chick's name?"

"Rozane." Dirk replied. "She's kind of a sass and has more than a little bit of an alcohol problem. And yeah, I did kind of have a thing for her. Her and I used to bitch about our little siblings- kidding, kidding- but we kind of lost contact after Mom and Dad kicked the bucket and we moved." Dave clapped.

"I've got a friend like that. The alcohol thing. Not confirmed, but c'mon, what sober person typos that much." He sobered up, no pun intended. "Dude, good luck. If you can't woo this bitch, no one can." Dirk nodded.

"Thanks. Hey, chocolate chips are in the cabinet if you want some. You can probably sprinkle 'em in there before it hardens up." Dave complied, dropping a chocolate chip into his brother's mouth. He poured himself some coffee, ladling the pancake onto a plate and dropping an orange onto it as well.

"Can I borrow your car again, bro?" he asked past a sip of coffee. Dirk cut him a look.

"You fuck it up, you're dead."

"Noted."

Dave consumed his breakfast within ten minutes and put the plate and cup in the sink, tossing the orange peels into the trash. He collected his bag from the floor, glancing at Dirk and sliding his shades on. "Have fun with your gab session. Good luck with Rozane, man." Dirk tipped him a salute.

"Thanks, kid. See you later."

The parking lot was packed, but he still managed to score a spot at the side of the school. Drawback about this school in comparison to his old ones, there didn't seem to be assigned parking slots. Or maybe he'd just missed that part on the damn forms. That was pretty likely.

He took a seat in the lobby of the school, waiting for the bell to ring. Pulling out his phone, he scrolled through his music artists and selected a rock band, then popped in one earbud. Leaving the other ear free, he scanned the lobby, but didn't see anyone he knew. He didn't really notice when Kurt slid onto the arm of the bench next to him.

"Morning, Strider." Surprised, he turned his head, taking in his sudden companion. The fashionista was sitting next to him, balancing on the arm of the bench, legs crossed and both hands clasped on his knees. Dave nodded.

"Morning, Hummel. Nice outfit- take it you don't plan on being thrown into the Dumpster today?" Kurt scoffed.

"Oh, please. I'd say I'm going to be their boss someday, but I don't plan on operating a truck driving business." Dave snorted.

"And to think I thought my brother was sassy." Kurt grinned at him.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Dave ignored the guitars in his left ear in favor of conversation with the boy.

"Yeah. Hey, thanks for the star treatment yesterday at lunch. Helped a little with the whole first-day jitters thing, which is always a pain in the ass." Kurt nodded.

"You're very welcome, of course, but your lunch crowd was probably a poor choice on your part." Dave cocked an eyebrow.

"Go on."

"We're pretty much the losers of the school. Hanging out with us will get you nowhere, even if we do represent most of the intelligence at McKinley." he said honestly.

"Who says I want to get anywhere? Dude, this is school. The state forces me to come here. I've got enough to worry about without treating it like a fuckin' popularity contest." He paused to change the song. "Why're you guys the losers or whatever?" Kurt hesitated, and then shrugged slowly. "Well, then, I don't care either. Hey, you know a Jade Harley? I'm looking for her. If looking constitutes sitting on a bench and hoping she shows up." Kurt shook his head no.

"No, sorry. Pretty name, though. Is she your girlfriend?"

"Oh, definitely not." Dave replied automatically. After a second, he realized that that sounded a little too abrupt. "I mean, she's sweet and all, but…No. She's not my girlfriend." Kurt looked slightly intrigued.

"I see."

"Probably a good thing I haven't found her yet, though. She's kind of excitable, and I need at least five minutes to prepare for being tackled." Kurt laughed.

"I know some people like that." The bell rang, cutting off whatever he had been about to say. "What's your first class?"

"Mrs. Godfrey." Dave tucked his earbuds into the string-holder of his jacket, pausing the song and sticking his phone in an inside pocket. "Not a fan." Kurt winced.

"Always nice to start off the day with a teacher you don't like." Dave gathered up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and walking down the hallway with Kurt at his side. Kurt scanned the hallway, seeming to not even realize he was doing it. Distractedly, he spoke. "So why do you wear the sunglasses? Any reason, or is it the whole 'Bond, James Bond' thing?" He chuckled. Dave muttered without words.

"Eye problems." Suddenly, their path was obstructed by a tall African-American guy, holding an open Slushie cup from the nearby diner. Kurt adjusted his path to the end of the hallway, something Dave felt like he should take offense at until the reason was revealed to him. The guy tossed the contents of the cup into Kurt's face, and the blue ice splattered all over his vest and chin, even looking like it coated his eyelashes. Kurt opened his mouth in shock, reaching up to touch his lashes as his assailant walked off. Dave darted over to him, touching his shoulder.

"Dude, what the fuck was that?" Kurt kept his eyes closed, presumably to prevent the syrup from getting into his eyes, something Dave was willing to bet stung like a bitch.

"You're just lucky he only had one Slushie. He was eying you, too." Dave's eyes narrowed behind his shades.

"Dare him to fuckin' try. C'mon, let's get you to the bathroom. You need to get that off." He guided Kurt towards the men's room, pushing open the door. It was deserted, and he reserved the first sink for such, pulling Kurt to stand beside it. "Stand still."

"You don't have to do this." Kurt murmured, one hand at his temple as he obeyed. "Not that I'm not grateful, but you're going to be late for class."

"Ask me how much I care." Dave wet a paper towel and folded it three times, creating a little damp square, using it to dab at Kurt's vest. Kurt smiled a bit.

"I'm guessing not that much."

"You're correct." He rubbed at the material, getting most of it off and swiping at a lingering trail of blue. "Looks like your clothes are gonna be fine. Probably a good thing we knocked this out now, I can't imagine it's fun to try and get out." Dave put one hand to the side of Kurt's face, tilting his head towards him to wipe at his chin. The smallest blush appeared on Kurt's cheeks.

"It's not." Dave frowned at the sticky substance, wiping it away and gently touching the spot with his finger. One more swipe ensured that it was gone.

"Okay, seriously gonna need you to keep your eyes closed for this. Sorry if it stings." He raised the paper towel to Kurt's eyelashes, dismissing the bell in the background. He tried to slowly swipe upwards from the bottom lashes, but the towel was too clumsy and he quickly discarded this idea. "Hang on." Not looking where it landed, he tossed the towel behind him hearing a bag swish as it miraculously landed in the trash can. Trying to be careful, he used his pinky finger to brush upwards at the lashes, collecting the sticky syrup on his finger and wiping it on his pants before brushing the offending solvent off of Kurt's top lashes. He repeated this process with the other eye, pleased with the result. "'Kay, it's probably safe to open them now." Kurt opened his eyes slowly, blinking several times before clearing his vision. He smiled, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand before looking to Dave.

"You did pretty good. Thank you." Unexpectedly, he stepped forward and hugged him around the neck, resting his head on his shoulder. Dave froze, not used to hugs from anyone, really. After a long pause, he hugged him back, awkwardly patting his back.

"Uh...Sure thing. No problem." Kurt hugged him tighter, then released him, stepping back again.

"Sorry."

"No, it's cool. I just...Don't have a lot of people lining up to hug me, that's all."

"Oh?" He tilted his head. "Well, you should." With that, he grinned, gesturing towards the door. "We'd better go, otherwise we're going to be really late."

"Right, yeah. Let's go."

The two boys headed out into the hallway, which had now cleared out. Both had classes at the end of the hall, so they walked down together, Kurt stopping outside Dave's door.

"Well, I'll see you at lunch, Dave. Thank you again."

"Don't mention it." Dave answered, raising a hand. "Later."

His entrance into the classroom was nothing if not stealthy. Mrs. Godfrey had her back turned and was writing on the board, something about air quality monitoring. Quietly, he sneaked past her desk, making his way to the back of the room and taking his seat. Jade was nowhere to be found, but both Santana and Brittany were present. "Nice going." Santana whispered in approval. Dave nodded in recognition and folded his hands on the desk, doing a terrific job of pretending to pay attention to what Mrs. Godfrey was writing. She turned around again a second later, scanning the classroom to make sure everyone was awake and frowning when she got to Dave's row.

"...Dave, were you here before?"

"Yes ma'am." he replied with faux politeness, used to adapting to such a tone from his interactions with the heads of schools. She looked confused, and then called on Brittany.

"Brittany, was Dave here before?" Brittany, having been daydreaming, looked around in confusion.

"No? What?" Mrs. Godfrey looked to Dave, raising an eyebrow and giving Santana time to kick Brittany's desk. Brittany edited her answer. "What? Oh. That Dave? Yes, Mrs. Godfrey. I thought you meant Karofsky. He's not here today." Mrs. Godfrey looked exasperated.

"Yes, Brittany, thank you for stating the obvious." Brittany's eyes narrowed as Mrs. Godfrey turned back to the board, apparently satisfied with Brittany's testimony. Dave shot her a sympathetic look, taking out a piece of paper and writing her a note.

_dont worry about it babe shes just a bitch_

_Yeah, I kno, btu tht doesnt mean I have to like it :(_

_not saying you do just if you want me to beat her ass say the word...if it helps i dont think youre stupid_

_Thanks. I knew Tana was rite abut you, you are nice :D_

_uh...she obviously has poor judge of character but i guess ill take her word for it _

Santana intercepted the note, adding her input to it.

_Oi. You're in Mami Tana's good books, let's keep it that way._

_uh kay listen any of you seen jade harley_

Brittany was the one to respond to that, nodding vigorously before passing it back. Santana dropped out of the conversation completely, going back to texting under her sweater.

_Mhm she said she had to go and talk to a techer tho, shes not going to have to sneak into the clasrom like you did :D_

_translation she has a late pass_

_Yea but she said she mite not come in at all :( shes rly nice_

_i know she is_

_Is she your gf? _

_oh my god thats the second time ive been asked that today...uh no shes not i dont have a girlfriend nor do i want one_

Brittany gave him a confused look.

_Why dont you want a gf? Youre pretty cute, you could get 1 no problme_

_taking that as a massive compliment but nah. just dont want one._

_Do you not like grls?_

He honestly did not know how to respond to that and decided to answer with a not-quite lie.

_oh i like them fine im just not interested in dating them right now_

_Oh, ok ^^; sry i fell asleep texting u last nite_

_no its fine i passed out on my other friend at like two, fucking need some more sleep one of these days_

_You rly should. Kay ill talk to you later, i think tana needs something_

_roger_

_Roger who? :O_

_never mind_

The two girls lapsed into a whispered conversation. The assignment was written on the board, but Dave decided to forgo it in favor of reading everything he had missed in the biology textbook. He'd do the homework later. Scribbling it on his wrist in gel pen, he took a note for later and started reading.

The bell rang to startle him out of his reverie, but he picked up the book and carried it out the door with him. The boy walked into Mr. Schuester's room, still examining the book, when a force hit him, knocking the book on the floor and him flat on his ass.

Dave's eyes went wide and he stared up, taking in what had hit him like a ton of bricks, or more specifically _who the fuck_ had their arms wound around his waist and was sitting on his lap. Then a smile broke over his face.

Jade Harley was snuggling him, her head on his chest, hugging him like the world was ending. Without hesitation, he wound his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"Hey, babe."

Mr. Schuester turned, seeing the two of them in the otherwise empty classroom, but just smiled. "Jade, is this your friend you were telling me about?"

"Mhm!" The girl pulled back and pulled off Dave's sunglasses, looking him in the eyes and grinning. "Hey, Dave!" Chuckling, Dave reached for them back, sliding them on as she kissed his nose.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Aware that they were sitting against the wall and people would be coming in soon, he cleared his throat. "Jade, we might want to get up."

"Oh. Okay!" She scrambled off of him, helping him up. "Sorry, I was just happy to see you."

"Me too, Jade."

Jade walked over to Mr. Schuester, leaning forward and putting her hands on his desk. "Hey, Mr. Schue, can I sit next to Dave?" Mr. Schuester hesitated.

"Are you two going to be talking a lot?"

"In Spanish?" she offered weakly. The man laughed.

"Alright, go ahead, but if you guys get too rowdy I'll have to move you." She nodded, taking Dave's hand and leading him to a seat.

Both of them managed to halfway pay attention to the lesson while passing notes. Dave marveled at the fact that random strangers had been screaming at him in different languages for most of his life, and he now knew what they had been saying. Huh. He'd have to take down some of those insults for later- they were priceless.

_so why werent you in godfreys class _

_oh, i had to talk to mr schue about something! which reminds me, we have something to do before school ends. :D_

_oh god what is it dont tell me i scored fucking detention ALREADY_

_no, no, you didnt silly! im trying out for glee club and i want you to come hear my audition. were not gonna be in there the whole time, dont worry! i told mr schue we need to go study spanish._

_is there some sort of epidemic going around that turns everyone i know into barbara streisand_

_what?_

_nothing. yeah, ill come with you, jesus christ. better bring the house down you know i dont do this kind of stuff_

_thank you! 3_

_yeah yeah loca mujer. in reality you know 'study spanish' is gonna translate to 'skipping school so dave can take us to starbucks'_

_i know! :)_

Oh, this should be good.

The day seemed to practically fly by, something that Dave wasn't sure how to feel about. He introduced Jade to the crowd at lunch, and she was accepted with open arms, seeming to get along quite well with Tina and Mercedes. Dave mostly stayed out of the conversation, focusing on eating his lunch before engaging in conversation, mostly with Artie and Kurt.

And then it was time for free period.

Dave hesitated outside the door of the choir room. Jade tugged on his hand, her green polka-dotted dress swishing around her knees as she tried to tug him into the room. "Daaaave, c'mon, you promised!"

"I promised nothing. Explain to me exactly when the words 'I promise' were utilized." She glared at him, which was actually kind of really fucking terrifying.

This must be how straight men felt about their wives.

"Okay, okay, fucking hell. Yeah, I'll come in and watch you sing like a bird." Jade beamed at him and pulled him into the room.

The entire glee club and Mr. Schuester were congregated in there already, all seated in the chairs on the built-in risers. Dave recognized several of the people in there, those being Tina, Kurt, Artie, Santana, Mercedes, Brittany, and Puck, but there were four people he didn't know. One of them was a brunette with odd fashion sense, who eyed Jade with interest as she walked in. Another was a spiky-haired Asian boy, sitting at the back of the room. The remaining people were an absolutely gorgeous blonde girl and a boy sitting next to her, whose eyes were on the beforementioned brunette. Mr. Schuester acknowledged both Jade and Dave as they walked in, getting the glee club's attention.

"Okay, everyone, this is Jade and her friend Dave. Dave, are you auditioning?"

"Uh. No. I just came for moral support." he said awkwardly, taking a seat next to Puck at the back. Mr. Schue nodded.

"Alright. Well, everyone introduce yourselves." Through this process, Dave learned the names of the people he didn't know. The brunette was Rachel, the Asian boy was Mike, the supermodel wannabe was Quinn, and the guy next to her was Finn. Jade took a spot in front of the piano, folding her hands nervously in front of her.

"Well, I'm Jade...Jade Harley, and I'm a soprano." she greeted them, and Dave was proud to note that her voice only wavered a little bit. Her eyes flickered over to his corner of the room, meeting his with a smile and landing on Puck. Dave looked at Puck out of his peripheral vision and saw when he noticed Jade's look; he returned it with a sideways smile. Jade's smile increased a little and she looked back to Mr. Schuester, fidgeting a bit. "And I will be singing the song _Always_ for my audition." Mr. Schuester nodded.

"Whenever you're ready, Jade." Jade took a deep breath and started to sing.

_ When the world gets too_

_ Heavy, put it on my back,_

_ I'll be your levee, _

_ You are taking me apart_

_ Like bad glue on a get-well card_

_ It was always you,_

_ fallin' for me, _

_ now there's always time_

_ calling for me_

_ I'm the light_

_ Blinking at the end of the road._

_ Blink back to let me know._

She stopped there, face flushed, opening her eyes to see a reaction. Dave was duly impressed- the girl had a nice voice. It seemed like the rest of the glee club was too, despite the fact that she hadn't used an accompaniment. Jade swayed back and forth a little, looking to Mr. Schue. "Well, that's that." After a second, everyone started clapping.

"Well, New Directions, I think we have a new member!" There were assorted whistles from the crowd. Mr. Schuester glanced at Dave. "Dave, are you sure you don't want to give it a go?" Dave inwardly freaked out about being put in the spotlight, but shook his head.

"No, thanks. I'm sure you guys are terrific and all, but not rig...Nah. Plus, me and Harley have to go study Spanish. Don't worry, this won't be a thing- She'll be here every other time." He rose from his chair, heading up to the center of the room. The room became abuzz with conversation as everyone said their goodbyes to Jade. Jade waved at the crowd, then turned to Dave.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Under his breath, he murmured to her, "Starbucks awaits. The house has been brought down." She beamed, kissing his cheek, and headed towards the door.

Following after her, Dave looked back and realized something.

Puck was definitely scoping out his best friend's ass.

Resisting the urge to laugh, he just smiled and followed her out the door.

**A/N: Obviously I do not own the lyrics to Always by P!ATD.**

**This story is going to have a lot of variance in songs, so don't worry about that.  
**

**I am enjoying writing this more than I should.  
**

**As always, if you have any questions, feel free to PM me.  
**


	4. Dave:Begrudgingly consider Kurt and Jade

There had to be some formula for high school that made Starbucks coffee taste so much better after six hours at a desk.

The group gathered around a table, seven people making use of three chairs. Jade perched precariously on the arm of Dave's chair, absently running a hand through her hair and sipping at her drink. Next to them, in the second chair, Brittany and Santana had managed to squeeze into one chair. Kurt was sitting on the left arm of the chair, and Quinn took up the right one. In the third chair sat Puck. The rest of the coffee shop was relatively empty. It didn't particularly matter, anyway- the kids were all engaged in enthusiastic conversation, but they weren't taking their volume to an obnoxious level.

"So who here wants Mr. Schue to continue his rapping spiel tomorrow?" There was a round of laughter from most of them. Jade shifted.

"I don't know, I think it's a good thing! That a older guy teacher has the confidence to get up there and-"

"Bust a move?" Kurt offered sardonically. Six of the group burst into laughter. Dave, used to not getting many of their references by now, just sipped at his coffee. It had been two weeks- two weeks beginning tomorrow, actually- since Jade had joined the New Directions. Today, September 20th, marked the anniversary of his friend's new spot and the ninth Starbucks meet with these particular people since Dave had come to William McKinley. In those past two weeks, neither Kurt nor Jade had gotten off his case about auditioning for Glee. It wasn't that it annoyed him, because that was the wrong adjective. It was more him being hesitant- why, he didn't know. The only problem? Every time either one of them asked, he felt himself weaken a little until he was legitimately considering it.

Fucking high school.

Puck noticed Dave's silence and broke away from the discussion of Mr. Schue's dancing to engage him in conversation. "So dude, where's your bro? I thought he was going to stop by or something." Dave shrugged.

"Hell if I know. It's Bro; he could be anywhere." His lips twitched. "Last time he was late for something, the kitchen of the place he was DJing at caught fire. The guest of honor for the party thought it was hilarious, and she and Bro spent the next hour and a half eating Tysons chicken." Jade tugged on his sleeve.

"Speaking of, can I come home with you today? I haven't seen him in a long time!" Dave nodded.

"Yeah, sure. He'll be happy to see your pretty face." She giggled and leaned back against the headrest, ignoring the bemused looks of the Starbucks baristas. Hey, technically they weren't doing anything wrong. Dave cleared his throat. "Uh...You know, if any of you guys want to come over sometime, I'm sure that'd be cool." He was on pretty good terms with everyone there, so why he was nervous was questionable. There were murmurs of agreement, and a few smiles were shot in his direction. Quinn stood up with a nod to everyone.

"Well, I'm going to head home." She gave everyone a thin-lipped smile. Dave raised a hand in farewell. He wanted to like Quinn, but he wasn't sure if the feeling went both ways. Jade rose from her chair and wrapped Quinn in a hug. The blonde girl was taken aback for a second, but gradually hugged her back. Dave got the vibe that that was not a typical occurrence.

Upon Quinn's leaving, everyone seemed to notice the time. They had been there for almost an hour; it was a good thing the wait staff didn't care. Puck went about putting the chairs back in order, and the girls got their purses together. Brittany and Santana both got up at the same time and hip-checked each other, both slumping back against the chair and laughing. With a chuckle, Dave offered a hand to each of the girls, helping them up. Kurt shouldered his bookbag, joining Jade and Dave by the door.

"Dave, can I have a minute of your time?"

"Sure, shoot." Dave leaned against the wall, waiting for the others to finish disposing of their trash. He himself still clutched his Frappachino, and Jade switched her mocha from hand to hand. Kurt had long ago finished his latte.

"I'm hoping this isn't too much to ask, but will you come out for glee? I'll stop asking after this, I promise." Both Jade and Kurt noticed his hesitation. They leaned forward- that didn't translate to a no. Reading the enthusiasm on both of their faces, Dave sighed.

"Neither of you are gonna let up on me, are you?"

"Well, we would!" Jade defended them. "I just told Kurt that you like to sing and all, and we figured, you know, if you really like it, why not go out for it?" He gave her a glare at her admittance of divulging that particular bit of information, which she ignored, just turning a puppy-dog switch on. Dave looked away.

"Harley, stop while you're ahead." Kurt snickered.

"Fine, if she has to stop." Dave couldn't believe it when Kurt attempted the same cute persona. Granted, he looked a bit too mischievous to pull it off, but it still wiped out whatever Dave had been about to say. Damn, but...He looked cute. Really cute. Dave quickly shook it off and groaned.

"Ugh, fine. I'll try out tomorrow." Jade hugged him around the neck and Kurt made a 'yes' motion with his fist. "I have no idea what the fuck I'm gonna sing, though."

"That's okay. I can help you. And Bro can help too." Jade replied optimistically. Dave shook his head frantically.

"Um, no. A thousand shades of no. You can help me. Him, not so much." Kurt laughed.

"I can see I'm going to need to meet this mysterious Strider one of these days. He sounds intimidating." Dave's answering gaze suggested Kurt had lost his mind.

"Trust me, you don't want to meet Bro. You're too..." Kurt arched an eyebrow, daring him to continue. "…You're too you. Bro is too...Bro."

"Yes, thank you for that lesson in your family tree." Kurt replied sarcastically. He made a small nod to both Dave and Jade, fiddling with his bookbag again. "Well, I'm expected back at home, so I've got to go. Dave." He favored the blonde boy with a smile that could practically melt chocolate. "I'm looking forward to it."

And with that, he was gone. Jade peered after him curiously, looking confused.

"What do you think that was for?"

"What what was for?" Dave was very glad most of his face was obscured by the sunglasses. This was ridiculous. He couldn't seriously be letting a guy he'd known for two weeks get him all flustered. On a meter of one to not cool, this was an easy fifteen.

"That smile. You didn't see it, huh?" Jade was off her game, a thing that Dave took advantage of. He didn't argue.

"Nope." She held out her hand to take his. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then took it. There were worse things in the world.

The two made their way out to the parking lot, making their way to Jade's car. Dirk had required the car that day, so the companions were in the position of taking her vehicle for a ride to the house. Her car suited her well. It was a sleek, medium-end package, with space for four people and a sunroof. Jade made sure to retract said sunroof before pulling out of the parking lot. She scowled at an SUV who cut her off at the stop sign, but her irritation faded soon enough. "Isn't it a nice day, Dave?"

He folded his arms behind his head, leaning back and feeling the slight breeze wash over his features. "Mhm." Dave plucked his shades off and set them in the tray next to him, closing his eyes for the rest of the ride.

The next thing he knew, she was shaking him awake, half in and half out of the passenger side door. He woke with a start, opening one eye and regarding her sleepily. "…Yeah?"

"We're here, silly. You think Dirk will remember me?"

"No, I don't. I think he'll have totally forgotten about the girl who was over our place all the time." He was less deadpan than he would usually be, and Jade punched him in the arm.

"He'd better not."

For all her bravado, she was shy about ringing the doorbell. He made fun of her to no end about this.

"Really, Jade?"

"Shut up!" She blushed, face turning red. "He's your brother, so you don't have to worry about anything. I'm not related to him..." Lost for words, she trailed off. Dave snorted.

"'Don't have to worry about anything'. Boy, how wrong you are." He reached around her to punch the doorbell, then strolling in without waiting for an answer. "We could have just gone in the garage." Nervously, Jade followed.

When she entered the foyer, she was greeted with the sight of Dave's sibling sliding down the banister. Instinctively, she threw her arms up, shielding her chest from any potential impact. As a result, Bro slid right into them, coming to an abrupt halt. Jade freaked out and dropped him, jumping back a few inches. Bro composed himself, facing her quizzically. His attention went from Jade to Dave and back again, evidently uncertain.

"Who's the pretty chick, Dave?" At his question, Jade visibly wilted, looking down at the floor. Dave grimaced, shaking his head. Bro, judging that he was in some sort of error, studied Jade more closely. "Hey. Lift your head up, babe, I can't see your pretty face." Reluctantly, Jade looked up. Bro searched her for a second, and then broke into a grin. "If it isn't Jade Harley. Never thought I'd be seeing you again." He held out his arms for a hug. Jade eagerly accepted it.

"So you do remember me!" Bro laughed as if the idea of the opposite was completely preposterous.

"Of course I do. Hm, lemme think. Short girl with ratty hair, boy clothes, obsessed with paintball guns, cutie? I remember you." She beamed at him, playing with his sleeve. "Dave, see if we have any Cheerios for the lady." He obliged, climbing up on the counter and opening a cabinet, pulling down a bag of honey Cheerios. Tossing them to Jade, he watched in amusement as she tore into it, as had been her pastime as a child. She sat down in a computer chair, and Bro swiped a Cheerio, tossing it into her mouth. Dave sat on the edge of the counter, swinging his legs back and forth. Jade chattered abstractly with Bro, seeming positively elated. Then something hit her and she sat up, tapping him on the forearm. "Oh! Dirk, guess what?"

"What?" He played along like a gentleman.

"Dave's trying out for glee club!" Bro's eyes flew to Dave and Dave braced himself to be made fun of. Only no such thing happened. Instead, a flash of approval showed on his face.

"Really? Huh. Good job. And good luck. If you get in, maybe I'll take you and missy here-" he poked Jade- "to the center in town and the three of us can go at it. Me and you can spar like you used to like to with Dad, and Jade can get in some target practice. I heard a rumor you moved on to actual guns." He directed this last statement to her. She cracked her knuckles.

"Yeah! Grandpa had this really cool old one that he had left over from his cruise, and he gave it to me. I have to be careful, though, because Bec likes to chase the bullets."

"See, badass chicks with guns. What else can you ask for in a friend." Dirk stated. Then he analyzed her words. Him and Dave spoke up at the same time with the shared query of, "Who's Bec?" Dave remembered her mentioning him in their Skype call a couple of weeks ago, but he'd forgotten about it at the time. Now he couldn't even recall what the context had been.

"Oh, I didn't tell you? After we moved, Grandpa got me a puppy. Well, he isn't a puppy anymore, he's four years old, but you get my point. His name is Becquerel, but I call him Bec for short." Oh, so Bec was a dog. That made sense. Jade had moved away at the age of eleven. As she was sixteen now, Dave imagined she'd probably gotten the dog when she was twelve. She hadn't mentioned him before, but to be fair, her and Dave had lost contact for a while. The closest Dave had ever had to a pet was a sleek black bird that used to follow him around, back when they'd lived in Texas. (He wondered sometimes what had happened to it. There were many things Dave wondered what had happened to them, encompassing his father's old sword, the bird, and a copy of an old video game he used to enjoy. Some stuff just got lost to time.)

"Any chance I could meet him sometime?" Dave didn't want a dog, but he didn't see anything wrong with meeting Jade's. She had told him once that she didn't want children; by the same token, she had followed up with a hasty, 'Even so, if I change my mind, I'll have experience from treating animals really well!' Heh. She was cute.

"I don't see why not. I live with my uncle now too, though. Grandpa's getting old and he didn't want me to be alone if anything ever happened to him, so he convinced Uncle Jake to move in with us. I think you'd like him." Dave wasn't sure about that. Wisely, he didn't voice this. Dirk cleared his throat.

"Dave," he suggested, discreetly trying to tell his brother that he'd misplaced his manners, "why don't you go get Jade set up in the guest room and we can talk about her staying the night?" Jade shook her head.

"No need. Dave told me that you had said it was okay, and I called Grandpa on the way here. It's all set."

"Alright, then. Well, in that case, I guess that can wait. What do you two feel like for dinner?"

They ended up in such a state of confusion that they eventually voted to stay home. Dave volunteered to make pancakes, which was more than fine with both of them. Dirk tossed him an apron. As Dave was pouring the batter, the apron soared right over his head. Jade caught it, walking up behind him and holding it like an interesting piece of art. The flash of pink grabbed Dave's eyes and he groaned, flipping his brother off with his free hand.

"Bro, I am not wearing a pink apron."

"Then you can go ahead and enjoy questionable-looking pancake stains on your clothes." Dirk replied nonchalantly. Jade covered her mouth, muffling her laughter.

"C'mon, Dave, I'll put it on for you." She nudged his elbows out of the way and tied it around him, slipping the halter neck over him. Dave scowled half-seriously at the pancake in the making.

"This is stupid."

"You're stupid."

* * *

The two were sprawled out on his bed. Jade had changed into a pair of sparkly black pajamas and stared up at Dave's ceiling, humming to herself.

"So..Yeah, I-" Her sentence was obstructed by her own yawn. "I need to have you over sometime this week. And maybe, you know, if you get into glee, we can all have a party." Her voice was tired and lacking most of its usual luster. Jade rested her head on his shoulder, and he ran his fingers through her hair, twirling a strand around his finger.

"Sounds good to me." He didn't say anything else. He himself was fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Dave, I'm tired." Jade murmured softly.

"Me too, babe. You wanna go to sleep?" He didn't point out that most of her stuff was in the guest room across the hall. Besides, neither of them cared very much.

"Yeah." She cuddled against his side like a koala, bringing a smile to his lips. Dave closed his eyes, leaning back on the body pillow.

"You really think this whole New Directions thing is gonna work, Jade?"

"It will if you're in it."

"You, too. We're doing this together. Channeling our...Inner Zac Efron or some shit." Jade chuckled.

"Mmmmhm."

"…By the way, Puckerman was totally scoping out your ass."

"…What?"

"Oh, nothing."

"…Good night, Dave."

"Good night, Jade."

**A/N: Hey, you guys. Sorry I'm so late in updating- the first few weeks of this semester consisted of AP History kicking my ass. Still is, to be honest. I've got a request for my friend on here to do while I've got some downtime, and I'll juggle that while doing this story. New characters introduced soon and I get to mold my plot ideas, mwahahaha.**

**Please review and tell me good and bad. I'd really appreciate it.**


	5. Chapter 5: Author's Note

**A/N: Hey, you guys! **

**I just wanted to let you know that this story is definitely NOT on hiatus. I'm pouring over the fifth chapter a.t.m. It was supposed to be up tonight, but friend problems prevented me from finishing. This author's note will stay up only until I finish the chapter; then it will be deleted and the real chapter five added. I anticipate it being updated tomorrow night or Monday afternoon.**

**Thank you for understanding and for following my story. As usual, feel free to contact me with any and all questions. C:**

**-Shannon**


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